Public Art as Public Health

By Maggie Thomas, Boston University School of Social Work

March 3, 2017

Research

Can we really afford public art? Can we justify spending on art when so many public needs are underfunded? There has long been support for public investment in art despite the opacity of its impact on people and communities. Studies are increasingly demonstrating the concrete positive, public health benefits of public art.

The health benefits of public art in medical facilities are most easily measured, as patients are an identified population and are already being assessed for health outcomes.
The range and impact of art in medical facilities is compelling evidence of the health-promoting role art can playTwitter
. Patients in hospitals have been found to experience less anxiety, lower levels of pain, and faster healing after medical procedures when their hospital surroundings incorporated various forms of art. Medical facilities have dawn on research which explores the impact of the content of art as well as its simple presence, leading to emphasis on uplifting and representational images, art which depicts and reflects nature, and attention to a diverse array of art forms and content. These choices can support the potential for hospital-based public art to motivate patients to leave their rooms and engage in the facility, establish hopeful expectations about treatment, and generally improve self-reported mood and stress.

Public art developed and installed in community spaces can impact community health in multiple ways. Much of this is participatory public art, which engages community members in the planning and creation of the art itself.

The health impact of community-engaged and community-based public art is more complex to measure in terms of health impact, but what we do know from evaluation projects is exciting and encouraging. Public art developed and installed in community spaces can impact community health in multiple ways. Much of this is participatory public art, which engages community members in the planning and creation of the art itself. Projects like Power House Productions, in Detroit, can increase community members’ sense of identity and belonging, reducing isolation and negative mental health and emotional health outcomes.

Some participatory public art projects intentionally engage community members with differences, such as Philadelphia’s Mural Arts Porch Light Program, which actively includes people with behavioral health challenges in community groups creating public mural art. That program’s evaluation study found public health benefits ranging from improved neighborhood safety to decreased stigma around mental health issues to increased innovation in designing substance abuse treatment programs.

Maggie is a PhD student at the Boston University School of Social Work and was a 2016 Public Health Post Fellow. Her doctoral research is concentrated on public policy, with a focus on poverty and systemic oppression. Maggie is a part of the Social Policy Analysis Working Group at the School of Social Work, working on child welfare, economic instability, and child care subsidy projects. Prior to joining BU, Maggie practiced social work with LGBTQ youth and families and in the child welfare system. Maggie is an avid Chicago Cubs fan and loved J.R.R. Tolkien before it was cool.